Sending holiday gifts to key clients and referral sources is a great way to show your company’s appreciation. Make sure these gifts survive the journey and showcase your good wishes by choosing, packing and shipping them correctly.

Shipping pharmaceuticals brings with it a unique set of risks. Shipments must arrive on-time, intact and at the right temperature. When a non-medical shipment goes wrong, a customer can be disappointed. But when a pharmaceutical shipment doesn’t go as planned, it can affect the health of a patient. Yet with all the advances in pharmaceuticals, not much has changed in the last 30 years regarding the way pharmaceuticals are transported. Many are still moved from warehouse to retail stores by small regional carriers.

E-commerce shippers wanting to seal cartons quicker, more economically and securely want to use water-activated tape (WAT). These are the conclusions of an independent test by SGS North America (SGS). SGS is an industry-leading testing and verification company. Intertape Polymer Group (IPG)and its brand, Better Packages, commissioned the tests to help customers compare the carton sealing performance of water-activated tape (WAT) and plastic, pressure sensitive tape (PST).

Now is the time to gear up for the holiday shipping rush.

Now is the time t o get your water-activated tape dispensers and packaging systems in tip-top shape before the holiday rush. Last year’s holiday shipping volume was a record-breaker and there are plenty of signs that Holidays 2017 will smash through that remarkable volume. Are your machines up to the task? Here are a few tips to make sure they are ready to go.

Shipping wine can be a delicate and tricky business. Since a 2005 decision by the Supreme Court, more and more states have allowed out-of-state licensed wineries and wine brokers to ship wine. In fact, only six states (Delaware, Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Utah) now prohibit direct to consumer wine shipments according to the Wine Institute, the advocacy group for California’s wineries and affiliated businesses.

Looking for a way to engage e-commerce customers and bring them back for a second time? Make sure that opening the package is an experience they won’t forget. Packages that tell you brand's story can enhance the user experience and bring them back for more.

For e-commerce clothing vendors, the sale isn’t done until the customer opens the box and puts on the clothes. That opened box is the last customer touch-point they have with an e-commerce vendor. To make the most of this, those who sell and ship clothes need to make sure that they arrive ready to wear. That means they aren’t wrinkled or damaged in during the delivery process. “Shipping is an essential element in a strong e-commerce business,” says Laura Berk, Head of Marketing and Customer Success at Shippo, and we agree.

Are you currently using hand-held tape guns to seal your cartons? If so, you are likely missing out on the productivity and portable benefits of an manual tape dispenser with water-activated tape. These machines are suitable for facilities that do not always have access to power and are packaging under 50 cartons a day. Manual water-activated tape dispensers can help improve productivity and offer several unique advantages. Before discussing the benefits of manual tape dispensers, it's important to understand what water-activated tape has to offer.

The corrugated cartons that you ship to your customers need a secure seal. Your customers expect it and your bottom line requires it. The carton is your customer’s first impression of your company and the products they’ve ordered. If the carton is damaged or sloppy in appearance, it reflects negatively upon your company. Common Issues When Sealing Corrugated Cartons There are several carton sealing issues that many organizations face. To keep your packages safe, you need an effective carton closure system. Many companies use plastic pressure-sensitive tape (PST) to seal their corrugate. However, this solution does not provide a secure seal. Cartons can open while being stored or in transit, increasing the risk of product damage, contamination and even delivery refusal. Using PST also facilitates carton tampering. Someone can simply press down on the carton and slip their hand in to take products. The intrusion is easily covered up by re-sticking the tape or adding another strip of tape to cover the opening. PST is often used because it appears an economical carton sealing solution. However, there are hidden costs to using plastic PST. Packers using PST to seal cartons often use multiple strips of tape to try to achieve package security. The volume of tape used undermines any real or perceived “cost per foot” advantage of PST. If your company is concerned with the “first impression” that your carton makes with customers, using multiple strips of tape tends to look sloppy and gives a negative impression. Given the issues using PST, is there a better method to seal your corrugated cartons?